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 I'm the featured author over at Erotic Romance Crush Junkies today, talking about the WINTER'S DESIRE anthology--pop over there and comment for a chance to win a copy of the book!
Erotic Romance Crush JunkiesAnd Amanda has a very special guest at McIntyre's House of Muse today, for her Thursday Coffee Talk series--RT Bookreviews Convention Director Jo Carol Jones is guest blogging, and there's a *very* exciting prize being offered to one lucky commenter!! Go check it out:
McIntyre's House of MuseAlso, if you were waiting for a prize from Lord CM, he finally roused himself and made it to the post office--so goodies are on their way!
 Okay, it's grand prize time!! But we're going to make you *work* for it, LOL! Here's how it's going to work--I will list six questions. The answers can be found here in the past three posts, from the excerpts of the three novellas in WINTER'S DESIRE. Find the answers, and post your answers in the comments section. The FIRST person to post the correct answers will win the GRAND PRIZE, the gorgeous "Winter's Sparkle" necklace from Gaelsong (but note, it's *just* the necklace--they didn't have any more earrings available).  The SECOND person to post the correct answers will win the SECOND PRIZE, the oh-so-hot Gods of Football calendar (if we can pry it from Amanda's hands, that is!).  And the THIRD person to post the correct answers will win the THIRD PRIZE, Loreena McKennitt's "A Midwinter Night's Dream" CD (trust me, the music is as gorgeous as the album artwork!).  Okay....is everyone ready? Here goes! 1. From Lover's Dawn: What color gown is Aisling wearing?
2. From Winter Awakening: The vast clear summer sky was awash with what?
3. From Midnight Whispers: What was Sinead sipping at the Solstice Celebration?
4. From Lover's Dawn: A dollop of what remained on Aisling's lip?
5. From Winter Awakening: Sabeline declared herself "old" by what?
6. From Midnight Whispers: Sinead sees a vision of her late husband David wearing a mask--what two colors is the mask?On your mark, get set, go!
 At last, WINTER'S DESIRE is out! It's party time at LIT Manor! ~~~throwing virtual confetti in the air!~~~ Go grab a warm cuppa and blanket, and join us here for two days of teasers, giveaways, and who knows....maybe that rapscallion Lord Craven-Moore will actually grace us with his presence at some point. So....let me tell you a little about my novella, Lover's Dawn. It's set in the Edwardian era, which is the early 1900s. Often called the 'Belle Epoque' or the 'Gilded Age,' the Edwardian era was a time when the sun never set on the British Empire, when social division was at its height, when women were allowed far more freedoms than in times before, yet still remained tied down to the domesticity and feminine roles of the past. Ladies cycled in knickerbockers, drove motorcars, smoked and cursed, yet were still denied proper educations and the right to vote. Indeed, just like Regency ladies a century before, Edwardian ladies were raised to serve as wives and hostesses, and not much more. It was a time of great nostalgia, of ostentatious displays of wealth, of 'Gibson Girl' fashions, of gentlemen in Norfolk tweed coats and derby hats, of enormous country estates and 'Saturday to Monday' house parties. The Great War loomed just off on the horizon, destined to change the world and usher in modern times, but until then, modernism was held at bay. Aisling Wainscott is the heroine of Lover's Dawn--a gentleman's daughter, raised in the country. She's trapped between her own feminist ideals and her place in society, looking to find where she fits in. She also has a secret: she writes erotica--under a pen name, of course--for a publication called The Boudoir. But her sexy stories are all make-believe; she's never experienced true passion in her own life. That is, until the day she finds a mysterious poem in a circle of stones on the Winter's Solstice and makes a wish for something she knows she can never have. Or can she? Suddenly, she's seeing her brother's friend Will Cooper in a whole new light. Here's a little teaser..... As the dinner conversation buzzed on around him, Will continued to watch Aisling, wondering, as he always did, just what was going on in her mind. It was a sharp mind; of that he was certain. But beyond that, she was mostly a mystery to him. They’d been playmates as children--friends, even. But as they’d grown older, she’d become cold, distant. An ice queen, if ever there was one. The last time he’d seen her, she’d mostly just ignored him.
And yet, inexplicably, she was not ignoring him tonight. In fact, he’d felt her eyes on him since the moment they’d sat down to dinner. Aisling had breezed in, smelling of violets, wearing a wispy, pale rose-colored gown that fluttered behind her like gossamer wings. She’d kissed her mother on the cheek while apologizing for her tardiness, and then taken her seat at the long table, directly across from him.
It was only when she’d raised her goblet to her lips that she’d seemed to notice his presence. She’d looked startled, almost astonished, and he could not credit why. Surely Jack had told her he was joining them tonight. Hell, even if Jack hadn’t, his appearance there at the Wainscott’s dining table was a common enough occurrence. Yet Aisling’s apparent discomfiture hadn’t lessened throughout the interminable meal--five full courses in all.
In all the years he’d known her, he’d never seen her so discomposed. It was disconcerting, and yet somehow arousing if his cockstand was any indication. It would prove embarrassing as hell if he couldn’t rein it in before they finished with dessert.
“I say, Cooper, you’ve not listened to a word I’ve said, have you?” Jack asked, shaking his head.
“I’m sorry?” he asked distractedly. Aisling had taken a bite of pastry and a dollop of chocolate cream remained on the plump center of her lower lip. His pulse began to race as her tongue darted out, licking it away. Good God, that mouth of hers...a perfect, pink bow, just begging to be kissed. And that tongue...just imagining how she could use it, how--
“Bloody hell, Cooper, snap out of it.” Jack tossed his napkin to his lap. “If you’ll pardon my language, Mother.”
“Might I remind you that there’s another lady present besides Mother,” Aisling said sweetly. “Honestly, Jack, have you no manners at all?”
Mrs. Wainscott arched a brow in censure, though the woman could not entirely conceal her smile. “Indeed,” she murmured.
“Indeed?” Jack sputtered. “Why, Aisling curses more than I do, the hoyden.”
“Fascinating,” the elder Dalton said with a leer that made Will’s skin crawl. “A gently bred lady who curses?”
Aisling just shrugged. “I only do it to get under my dear brother’s skin. He’s just ill tempered because my curses are far more original than his own. I’d be happy to demonstrate--”
“You most certainly will not,” Mrs. Wainscott interjected, shaking her head. “Honestly, it’s as if I’ve raised a pair of apes.”
The younger Dalton grinned, looking much like an ape himself. “I beg to differ, ma’am. Your daughter is quite the original. A breath of fresh air, if I might venture to say so.”
Which meant he wanted to fuck her, Will realized, balling his hands into fists.
Jack looked entirely nonplussed. “Suffice it to say that my sister has no equal.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, thank you very much.” Smiling brightly, Aisling rose from her seat and moved to stand behind Mrs. Wainscott. “I think I’ll leave you gentlemen to your after-dinner smoke. Mother?”
The woman nodded. “Of course, dear.”
“Sure you won’t join us, Miss Wainscott?” one of the Daltons called out, sounding slightly drunk.
“Quite,” came Aisling’s reply. Her skirt’s lace-trimmed hem had caught on a chair’s leg, exposing a good four inches of her stocking-clad ankle. And what a well-turned ankle it was, Will realized with a start. Delicate. Gently curved.
Slowly he slid his admiring gaze up her body, to her face, and he could have sworn her saw her shiver in response, as if she’d physically felt his appraisal. Their eyes met, her hazel ones blinking rapidly, her blond brows knitted in what look like confusion.
With a silent curse of frustration, he pushed aside his napkin and rose. For the briefest of moments he considered offering to escort her out, but decided it best to ignore whatever impulse was tempting him to do so. After all, no good would come of it.
For what felt like an hour but was likely only a fraction of a minute, they both stood, watching one another in silence. And then, just like that, the spell was broken. She shook her head, reaching a hand to her temple, her fingers trembling.
“Aisling? Dear?” Mrs. Wainscott reached for her daughter’s arm.
Aisling threaded her arm through Mrs. Wainscott’s. “If you’ll excuse us,” she said with a nod. Moving in perfect unison, the pair made their way out.
Will held his breath, mentally willing Aisling to turn around, to glance back just once before departing. Why, he could not say. But when she did just that, glancing back over one finely shaped shoulder, his breath caught in his throat and he stood there gaping like a stupid ox. I guess you could say that one of the themes of the story is "Be careful what you wish for..." Have you ever wished for something--then had the wish come true and realized that maybe it was more than you bargained for? Or maybe just more/better/different from what you expected? Leave us a comment and let us know! I'll select one commenter at random to win a Celtic Spice sport bottle and a WINTER'S DESIRE coverflat, signed by all three authors! And be sure and check back often over the next 48 hours, because we've got lots more to come, including a "scavenger hunt" for which we'll award our grand prizes--the gorgeous 'winter's sparkle' necklace, the Gods of Football calendar, and a Loreena McKennitt CD! Oh, one last thing...if you visit Dear Author or Smart Bitches, Trashy Books you'll find gorgeous ads for WINTER'S DESIRE including a coupon code for $4 off the book or ebook at eHarlequin! Go, check it out! But don't forget to come back and leave a comment for a chance to win the sport bottle and cover flat!
 Wow, us LIT Ladies are really falling asleep on the job here...the poor blog looks abandoned! Time to stir things up, I think! First off, I have to tell you that I got my author's copies of WINTER'S DESIRE last week, and had the chance to read the entire thing, in 'book form', which is a very different experience than reading the individual novellas on the computer and imagining them all bound together by the prologue. And let me just take a moment to brag on my co-authors--because their stories were amazing, totally drawing me into their worlds. And talk about HOT! I loved the way the common theme was weaved throughout, and I loved the way everyone had their own distinct 'style.' I'm really proud to be a part of this unique book, and I just can't wait till you can read it! Now, back to today's subject....sexy villains. And I'm talking true 'bad guys' here, not just those 'bad boys' that *really* have hearts of gold. There seem to be two types of villains in books/movies/TV shows: the grotesque type, and the hot, sexy type. Does it bother you when the villain is somehow appealing, despite his dastardly deeds? I'm a big fan of the TV show HEROES, and the villain, Sylar, is a bad, bad guy. He kills people, among other stuff. Yeah, we've got his backstory, and that makes us feel a bit sorry for him, gives us a bit of understanding, but c'mon, he's killing people. And yet somehow he's the most popular character on the show. Women love him. I love him. He's scarily sexy. Forget Peter Petrelli, the good guy 'hero' who looks like he stepped off the cover of GQ. Women love Sylar. There are fansites *everywhere* dedicated to him, far more than any other HEROES character. He even has an "Army" (Sylar's Army, aka "Sarmy," a hugely popular web site devoted to his character). Recently I was fiddling around with a YA paranormal manuscript that I've been working on for a while (which, I'm happy to announce just SOLD!!! Details later). There's a bad-guy villain in the book who's threatening the book's main characters, and originally I'd written him as unattractive, with greasy long hair and a hook nose. But while revising, I somehow managed to change his physical description to something far more appealing--don't ask me why. But...there's just something about a sexy villain!  I know there are more examples...Anakin Skywalker, for one (see above!). I mean, you know what he becomes and you know you're supposed to hate him, but....you're drawn to him, anyway. Who else? I'd love to hear more examples--from books, TV, or movies--of really sexy villains that you know you're supposed to hate, but can't resist.
 ....a chance to win this beautiful "winter sparkle" necklace from GaelSong (just the necklace--unfortunately, the earrings were no long available--but don't worry, we have a different pair of gorgeous earrings to give away instead!). It's beautiful, isn't it?! I had to buy two--one to keep, and one to give away! On Monday, November 2nd the LIT Ladies (along with our naughty resident Lord of the Manor) will be hosting an all-day event to celebrate the release of the first volume in the "Celtic Spice" series, WINTER'S DESIRE! We're going to be giving away a lot great prizes that day, including the "winter sparkle" necklace. We'll be setting the stage, so to speak, here at LIT throughout the Halloween weekend, so be sure to don your favorite virtual costume and join us then, too. Mark you calendars now! WHEN: Monday, Nov. 2nd
TIME: All day
WHERE: The Lust in Time ManorWe'll be discussing the inspiration behind the WINTER'S DESIRE novellas, giving behind-the-scene peeks, playing games, and giving out prizes. Hope you'll join us!
  At last, we have a cover!! And it's gorgeous, too....Look for it on shelves November 2009! And don't forget to stop by on Monday, when we'll have guest blogger Jeri Westerson in the house, talking about making the middle ages sexy! She'll also be giving away a signed copy of her sexy historical mystery, VEIL OF LIES, to one lucky commenter. See you then! *** For those of you interested in an editor's perspective about hot historicals, Charlotte/Sophie's NAL editor, the gracious Tracy Bernstein, has agreed to guest blog here in late May--even sticking around to answer questions/comments from YOU, our loyal LIT readers! We'll let you know the exact date soon, so stay tuned! We're also planning on lining up a few more industry guests in the near future. ***
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